The present disclosure is related to patient support apparatuses, and in particular to patient support apparatuses used to provide warnings to patients supported by the patient support apparatuses. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to patient support apparatuses used to provide warnings to patients to discourage the patients from exiting the patient support apparatuses.
Patients exiting patient support apparatuses without caregiver assistance may be at risk of falling and sustaining injuries as a result. For example, patients exiting patient support apparatuses while delirious or in a state of dementia may be particularly prone to falling. Additionally, patients exiting patient support apparatuses without caregiver assistance may be at risk of inadvertently removing tubes used to deliver medication to the patients or lines used to monitor biological activities of the patients.
Patient support apparatuses may provide warnings to patients to discourage the patients from exiting the patient support apparatuses. Such warnings may be limited in a variety of ways. In some cases, the warnings may not allow enough time for the caregivers to assist the patients before the patients exit the patient support apparatuses without assistance. In other cases, the warnings may fail to discourage the patients from exiting the patient support apparatuses without assistance. In other cases still, the warnings may take the form of alarms that embarrass and compromise the dignity of the patients.